The power of hybrid app development is getting a lot more attention these days. Android and iOS dominate the market, but Windows Phone is growing and BlackBerry is hanging on. Why spend more developing separately for many platforms when you can build once and distribute to all of them?

There are still different options when creating hybrid mobile apps. It depends upon the functionality and portability desired.

HTML5 Development

When compared with a native software development kit (SDK), building hybrid mobile applications with HTML5 is generally easier and faster. It enables sharing of code between platforms, thus saving time. It uses a native wrapper with HTML5 code running inside it, making it possible to distribute the app on app stores. Gartner predicts that, by the year 2016, hybrid apps will constitute more than half of all deployed mobile apps.

HTML5 applications can also be designed to run in a web browser, so desktop users can access them as well. Even niche or emerging mobile operating systems will be able to run HTML5 apps.

Hybrid apps that rely solely on HTML5 cannot take full advantage of all device features. With increasing driver support from manufacturers, however, HTML5 apps in native wrappers are becoming a cost-effective way to develop just once.

Cross-Platform Native Development

Native apps are platform specific and can directly access all device hardware, like 3D acceleration, GPS, camera, gyroscope, accelerometer, and more. The old way to develop for multiple operating systems was to build each app separately. The new way is to use an integrated development environment (IDE) that takes one codebase and translates it for use on several platforms.
Hybrid tools like Xamarin, PhoneGap, and Titanium allow developers to design, code, and execute across multiple platforms. Depending on the tool, developers can work with a familiar programming language like C# or Java. The tool then converts that code automatically, flagging whatever small sections need manual attention. Because the source code is in a single language, maintaining and updating the app is a much simpler process.

Hybrid web apps are becoming more popular because they can offer the same native functionality in web apps. Creating hybrid web apps or mobile optimized web applications for native platforms with standard based web technologies offers great advantages for developers and clients. Developing content that can run across different platforms is a great benefit for advertisers, since they can integrate native apps with web-based networks with a common standard. Hybrid apps and web apps use open standards, so the content can be easily accessible among all users.